Whispers Cafe Closes for Renovations

Tashera Brown, a cashier at Whispers, assists a student with her order. (Photo credit: Washington University Libraries)

Whispers café will be closed to users and foot traffic
from June 13 to August 1, so that a number of renovations can take place.

When the café
reopens for the start of the fall semester, students, faculty, and staff can
expect a fresh look, with new menu boards and merchandise cases, a
stronger system for moving people through the line quickly during peak hours,
and a counter that allows for easier interaction between patrons and servers.

"It's the
busiest coffee shop in all of Kaldi-land," says Paul Schimmele, manager of
dining services on the Danforth campus, referencing the St. Louis-brewed coffee
that Whispers staff pour so much of each day. "By changing the counter, we will
improve the efficiency—so that while students will still come to the café in
large groups, we can move those groups through even faster."

Whispers
opened in May 2004, at the conclusion of Olin Library’s renovation and
expansion. It soon became a hugely popular place to eat, study, meet, or relax.
The number of food and beverage items that the café goes through on a typical
day continues to grow, and this summer’s reconfiguration includes the addition
of more storage space. This will cut down on the frequency of deliveries from
across campus, Schimmele says, and give Whispers the ability to better stock
and keep chilled the most popular items.

"The volume of
business that Whispers does is just much more than we ever dreamed it would
be," says Patti Louvier, director of operations for dining services. "A sense
of urgency at Whispers is a job requirement, and hopefully the remodel will
further enhance our service. I think it’s going to be very pleasing to the eye
as well."